Sloe bug
The sloe bug is a shield bug, shaped like a little knight's shield. It is usually reddish purple with a yellowish triangle on its back, and its whole body is covered in fine hairs. Its feelers are striped black and white, like tiny candy canes.
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Fun facts
In winter it turns a dull brown colour.
The grown-ups sleep through the winter and come out in spring to lay eggs.
The edges of its body have a pattern of black and white patches, like a little border.
Boys and girls look almost exactly the same.
Most asked questions about Sloe bug
?Is the sloe bug harmful?
No, it is harmless to people. It just sucks juice from plants and berries.
?What does the sloe bug eat?
Plant juices, especially from berries like raspberries and honeysuckle. Funnily enough, not sloes.
?How big is a sloe bug?
It is about 10 to 12 millimetres long.
Myth buster
Myth: The sloe bug eats sloes.
Truth: No. Even though it is called the sloe bug, neither the young nor the grown-ups eat sloes.
For bug experts
- Scientific name
- Dolycoris baccarum
- Group
- True bugs and cicadas
- Family
- Pentatomidae
- Classification
- Insecta > Hemiptera > Pentatomidae
- Lives on
- Europe, Asia
- Also known as
- Hairy shieldbug
Where the facts come from
- Dolycoris baccarum (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
- Picture by Hectonichus. CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons. The round sticker of this bug is cut from the same picture.
If we got something wrong, sorry, we are bug fans, not a science journal. Tell us at hello@bugwiki.app and we will fix it.
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